After Elite Levels
by lostinthecities
Summary: After the Elite Levels, the group goes their separate ways, but they are still friends. When Biana, Fitz, and Dex surprise Sophie with a visit, they decide that it's time for all of them to get back together. MOST SHIPS INCLUDED - Rated T just in case
1. Chapter 1

The floor near Sophie's room creaked slightly and she shut her laptop, abandoning the blank page yet again. Dex had adjusted an old one that Sophie found in the Forbidden Cities, and now it worked better than anything she'd ever used.

She shoved the computer further onto her desk, and rested her arms on the glass surface.

Mrs. Amy slipped into the room after knocking. "Miss Foster? Someone wants to see you. He's waiting on the ground floor." Sophie sighed, and shoved her face into her arms.

"What's his name?"

"Right." She paused. "Fitz Vacker," the secretary said. "He seems like a nice young man." Sophie lifted her head, a grin forming on her lips as she spun around to face Mrs. Amy, who was noticeably flushed pink.

"Tell him I'll be down in a minute," she said, unable to stop her smile. Mrs. Amy nodded briefly and pulled the door shut with a click. Quickly, Sophie pulled on a knee length red tunic that flared out at the hips and a pair of low black heels. She didn't bother with her gloves, which blocked her Enhancing ability.

She made her way down the sweeping gold stairs, smiling at the other elves. When she reached the bottom of the spiral, Fitz's crisp accent floated through the shiny granite hallways. She smiled to herself, missing his voice. But once she got close enough, she could hear the shaky tone in his words, and the grin faded from her face.

"I have to show her something. Are you sure she's coming?" His voice was rushed, and sounded worried. Shock trickled into Sophie's brain. Fitz didn't normally sound like that.

Mrs. Amy responded with only, "She said she would try to be down soon." Sophie cringed, walking a little faster through the echo-ey halls.

As soon as she turned the corner, she took in his grown figure. He was so much taller, since the last time she saw him. He was wearing a pine green cape and a navy blue jerkin with a white undershirt and black pants. Sophie noted how regal he looked, wondering if it was for an occasion. He was studying the paintings of Grady, Edaline, and Sophie on the wall, along with the one of all of her friends standing in front of Calla's Panakes tree. The ones that Keefe painted for her as a gift for Midterms.

"Hey," Sophie said. Fitz turned and the worry on his face fell away with one of his famous smiles that would put any movie star to shame.

"We were so young then," he pointed out.

"Yeah," Sophie agreed, smiling. That was a couple years before the Elite Levels, which changed everything. "How are you? How's everything been?" He raised his head from the picture, and walked towards Sophie. He was now significantly taller than her, compared to the few inches he had on her during Foxfire. She looked up into his teal eyes, ignoring the sudden heat on her cheeks.

"Fine," he said. His eyes glinted with a shy fear, despite his smile. Sophie thought about searching his mind, but he would never forgive her for something like that.

"The truth?" Sophie asked. His smile fell, and the worried tone came back.

"Not great. Keefe's gone missing again. And I can't keep Biana away from Tam," he admitted. Sophie frowned, too devastated to catch his joke, and a sinking feeling settled in her stomach. Keefe was missing again?

"Do you wanna head upstairs?" She asked quietly, noticing Mrs. Amy trying to listen and look inconspicuous from the front desk.

Any other day, Sophie would've kicked herself for feeling butterflies in her stomach at the thought of being alone in her room with Fitz, but the solemn mood of today had her feeling like all of them had died.

"I think that's a really good idea. We haven't talked about Keefe in a while," he stated. Sophie glared down at her feet, wishing that it wasn't true.

Fitz lowered his voice to a whisper and added, "He'll be okay, Sophie." Wanting with every ounce of her body for that to be true, she forced a weak smile and looked back into Fitz's eyes.

"Okay," she said, trying to believe it. She stood there for a moment longer before motioning to Fitz to follow her back down the hall. They climbed the first three stories in silence, before reaching a platform called the Lift. It was a like an elven elevator, but instead of solid walls, elves could walk right through them and stand on it while it lifted you up to the desired floor. Sophie pressed a black button with 27 written on it in gold; the last floor.

The ride was practically silent, other than Fitz leaning over to Sophie around the 18th floor and whispering, "So about that favor."

Her cheeks flamed with warmth and she pulled her hair around her face. She kept her head straight forward, but she could see Fitz grinning at her out of the corner of her eye.

The Lift announced their arrival on the 26th floor with a small chime, and a couple got on the Lift, one blinking in and out of sight, and joined Sophie and Fitz. They looked at each other before launching into hushed whispers.

Sophie was able to catch snippets of their conversation. Words like 'experiment' and 'the Vacker boy' and 'special abilities' gave Sophie goosebumps along her arms. They wore high-necked capes with hoods, and one of them was facing away from Fitz and Sophie. The woman's hair was visible, but nothing else. It fell in dark waves off her shoulders and around her ribs. But when the chimes rang again, Fitz looped his arm through hers and they walked off the Lift together. It reminded Sophie of walking through Foxfire on their last day. But that memory was slowly crushed when she looked over her shoulder and found that the couple had followed them. All of a sudden, Sophie was doing everything in her power to release the knot of emotions under her ribs. She settled for walking a bit faster.

"Wait!" the woman cried. Fitz looked at Sophie and they slowed a little, but didn't stop.

"We just want to talk," the man said. Sophie recognized the voice, but not enough to place it.

 _I think we should stop._ As she transmitted to Fitz, he jumped, not expecting her thoughts. _I recognize the man's voice, but I can't place it._

 _We don't have to,_ he transmitted back. Sophie shook her head. She stopped and turned to face the couple.

Putting on a sweet smile, she nudged Fitz in the ribs, who was still facing the other way. "About what?"

"We recognize you," the woman said gently. Fitz turned around with a genuine grin, amused.

 _What are you doing?_ He turned his grin on her.

 _Surprise!_ When she turned back to the couple, they had their hoods down, and the pieces snapped together. Their voices, and the woman's shiny brown hair. Biana and Dex stood a few feet away, smiling at her.


	2. Chapter 2

Sophie tackled both of them in a strangling hug, feeling relieved knowing it was them on the elevator. They were all laughing, and Sophie felt tears prick her eyes when even Dex walked over to Fitz and gave him a quick hug.

"You're definitely still Wonderboy though," he said, smiling. Fitz grinned, seemingly humbled. Biana looked at Sophie, smiling widely.

"What?" Sophie asked.

"You look nice," Biana explained, walking over and feeling Sophie's cape. She blinked in and out of sight, just like her mother. The concept was still strange to Sophie. Vanishers were weirdly graceful. "Like, you live somewhere important and don't have to dress like Sophie Foster." Sophie looked down at her tunic, black heels, and calf length black cape. When she looked back up, she noticed that both the boys were staring at her too.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dex asked, when confusion flashed across Sophie's face.

"She's saying that you look beautiful and important," Fitz added, smiling at her. Sophie hoped he only meant that as a compliment. It wasn't like he'd noticed that specifically, right?

"She _is_ important. And doesn't she always?" Dex mumbled. Sophie tried to calm the growing burn on her face by switching subjects.

"How did you guys get here? There isn't a crystal for this building on any of the Leapmasters," she wondered.

"I hacked into the registry pendant feeds, and found out where you were," Dex said. His dimples showed prominently when he grinned. "And the nearest destination was only a few minutes away." Biana shook her head, smiling.

"Grady and Edaline know Thalia," she explained further, making it sound a little less creepy. "Grady told us that you were working in her building."

"Who's Thalia?" Sophie asked.

"Thalia Amy? She's the secretary who let me in," Fitz said. Sophie frowned at herself. Two years of living here and she never thought the ask Mrs. Amy's first name. Then another realization racked her brain, filling her mind with worry.

"Where's everyone else?" Sophie asked, thinking about Tam, Lihn, Alden and Della. And even Marella. Keefe flashed across her mind for a second, but then she realized that probably nobody else would know where he was.

"You'll see soon enough," Fitz said, turning back towards the direction they were walking. When they reached Sophie's room, Dex swiped his wrist in front of the door, and it unlocked.

"How'd you do that?" Sophie asked, shocked. "Doesn't that mean any random Technopath can just break into my room?"

Dex laughed, before explaining. "Grady and Edaline gave me the room key." Relief flooded into Sophie. Fitz and Biana cracked up, and she shot them a pointed look.

"What?"

"That's exactly what Grady told us to do, and how you would react," Biana snickered. Sophie felt the corner of her lips twitch in a traitorous smile.

"I guess I owe them a visit soon," she said, thinking. She hadn't been home to Havenfield for almost a year. The last time she was home, they were having a party for Livvy and Quinlan's adoptive son, Railen, right after he graduated the Elite Levels.

"Exactly my point!" Biana shouted as she flopped onto the comfy bed. Sophie laughed and closed the door before joining Biana. She sat down on the edge of the bed while Fitz and Dex found seats near the windows. They seemed like they were talking about something serious. Fitz was facing them and Dex faced away, but they were both nodding. Worry crept into Sophie's features, until Fitz broke into a smile and Dex doubled over laughing.

"You need to relax," Biana said. "Which, again, is part of my point." She waved her arms at Fitz and Dex. Sophie was about to ask what her point was when she added, "Boys, come over here and stop talking about Sophie."

Sophie flushed as Dex asked, "Why do you think we were talking about Sophie?" But he and Fitz both shared the same lopsided grin. Biana sighed and they sat in chairs near the end of the bed.

"Okay, you guys. We're having a party and you're all invited," she said. Sophie looked at her sideways.

"Who's planning it?" Dex asked, as he glanced at Sophie.

"We are. Sophie and I," she explained. "Sophie wants to visit Havenfield—I can tell—and please." She held up her hands like she was surrendering. "Give me one better way to return home other than a huge party!" Sophie glanced at Fitz and Dex for backup, but they both looked absolutely adorable and like they could jump for joy.

"Have you talked to my parents already?" Sophie asked, setting her gaze back on Biana, who was absentmindedly poking Sophie's pillow back into place. Biana nodded, smiling. Sophie rolled her eyes and stood, wandering to her closet and changing into a hip length navy blue tunic and black leggings. It got quiet for a while, other than Biana and Fitz's quiet argument about someone named Arora.

"Dex, you have looked like you're going to explode since we got in here. Anything you wanna say?" Fitz said, switching the subject from himself to Dex. Dex mumbled something that Sophie couldn't hear from inside her closet, but it made Biana squeal and Fitz fall silent.

"Wait, what?" Sophie walked back over to the bed and sat on the ground, keeping her focus on Dex. She did, however, notice Fitz following her movement with his eyes—which immediately sent a flame to her cheeks.

Dex rolled his eyes before answering with another mumble, and Sophie had to ask him to repeat it.

"I said me and Marella got matched, so we're trying something out."

 _Something?_ Sophie transmitted to Dex. He looked at her and Sophie raised her eyebrows at him, grinning, and his whole face turned pink, spreading to his ears.

"I'm happy for you!" Biana squealed. "You guys are going to be so cute!" Sophie agreed, but couldn't help noticing that Fitz suddenly seemed very interested in her fuzzy grey carpet.

"Fitz has some updating to do as well," Dex pointed out. Fitz shot him a glare, before adding, "I think we can save that for later."

"Why not now?" Biana asked, slowly twirling her long brown hair into an intricate braid.

Fitz shot Dex another glare that made Sophie wonder if he was transmitting before explaining, "Because I thought you could tell Sophie wanted to leave and visit Havenfield. And don't we have a huge party to plan?"

" _Sophie_ and _I_ do," she corrected.

 _Smart._ Sophie transmitted to Fitz. _Talking to Biana about a party will definitely take the heat off of you._ Fitz flashed a smile at her as Dex and Biana got up from their sitting positions.

"We'll meet you two downstairs at the Leapmaster. I told Tam and Lihn we'd meet them at Fox—" Biana grimaced, stopping her sentence short as Dex jabbed her in the ribs. "I told them we'd meet them before getting to Havenfield." Sophie frowned as Biana rubbed her ribs, scowling at Dex.

 _What is she hiding from me at Foxfire?_ Fitz watched them leave her room before turning back to her.

 _You caught that too? But, I'm sure it's nothing,_ he transmitted back as the door clicked shut. She smiled at him as he joined her on the floor.

"But I will tell you that thing later. I just," he looked over her face, not lingering anywhere, but enough to make her face burn a little, "I just need some time to decide."

"Decide what?" She asked. His seriousness faded, replaced with one of his grins.

"You'll see. But for now, let's get moving. Edaline and Grady are already expecting you, I'm sure." Sophie laughed and Fitz ran his hand through his hair as he stood up. He offered Sophie a hand and she took it.

'I'm pretty sure 'you'll see' is going to be the new 'no reason to worry'," Sophie joked. Fitz laughed and looped his arm through hers, a friendly gesture. As they walked out the door she had to remind him of one last thing.

 _We're still Cognates. You can tell me anything._

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Sorry, I'm working as fast as I can, and now I'm realizing that it would better if I just write a couple chapters and then publish them all together, at once, versus leaving you guys waiting (if you are). And also, I know some people like short chapters, but I mine are a little on the long side. Also, for those Keefe-people, he is** _ **definitely**_ **coming. Just hold on a little! Anyway, I hope you guys like it so far… and feel free to leave any questions, comments, or suggestions you have and I will try to respond! I will really try to incorporate any suggestions I like into my story :)**


	3. Chapter 3

When Sophie and Fitz glittered into sight at Havenfield, they had quite the crowd waiting for them. Alden, Della, Juline, and Kesler stood by the doors of Havenfield, all deep in a conversation. Dex and Biana had also managed to bring Tam, Lihn, Marella, Wylie, and another girl Sophie didn't recognize but assumed she was Arora. All of her friends were smiling at her, but Arora had a set frown. She had her arms crossed over her chest, and was wearing clothing that would put even Biana's dress to shame. Sophie tried to study her without anyone noticing as Grady and Edaline rushed in to hug Sophie.

"We missed you, kiddo," Grady whispered into Sophie's hair. She barely heard it as she took in Arora's frame. She had on a modest pastel blue dress that was fitted at the waist but flowed out in layers of shiny fabric that glinted with the wind. He hair was loosely curled and light brown, half pulled back on the top with some sort of twisted braid. Her eyes were a light blue, like ice.

For a reason Sophie couldn't place, an empty sadness seeped into her stomach. But looking at Arora, she felt a pang of anger and jealousy. She didn't realize Edaline had pulled away until she gasped. Sophie shook herself out of her daze.

"What?" she asked. Grady laughed.

"You're as tall as Edaline," he said. Sophie turned to Edaline, and noticed that she was looking straight into her eyes. Sophie smiled—a real smile—like she used to around her parents. Over Edaline's shoulder, she saw Tam and Biana start walking off towards the pastures.

"I'm going to go check on them," she told her parents. Grady nodded and Edaline smiled.

"Everyone, let's head inside. Edaline made mallowmelt and cinnacreme," Grady said, waving his arms towards the crowd of Sophie's friends.

As Sophie started on her way over to Biana and Tam, someone grabbed her arm.

"You should probably give them some space," the accented voice said. Sophie turned to find a scowling Fitz, his teal eyes glinting with an annoyance. His features betrayed the softness in his voice.

"What's wrong?" Sophie asked, her voice cracking.

Fitz scoffed and looked at the ground. "I just didn't…" His sentence trailed off as he followed Biana and Tam with his eyes as they walked through the doors into Havenfield.

Sophie turned to face him full on before realizing how close they were standing. The toes of their shoes we a few inches from touching and she could see that his teal eyes had flecks of darker blue mixed in.

She forced a smile, and grabbed both of Fitz's hands. "This can't be your new thing, the whole 'unfinished sentences'. You're leaving me hanging," she said, sadly.

Fits returned a weak smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. He dropped his head again before closing the small distance between them, leaning so close she could feel his breath on her eyelashes.

"Sophie, I need you to trust me, okay?" Fitz whispered. Butterflies smashed against the walls of her stomach.

"Okay," she promised. Over Fitz's shoulder, Arora stood a few yards away with her hair whipping in the sudden gust of wind, and her cold glare killed every last butterfly. Sophie backed up a step and dropped her gaze to her feet.

 _And Sophie?_ Fitz's voice in her head made her jump. Sophie looked up at him, ready for him to continue.

 _That girl standing behind me is named Arora._ She snuck another look at her, before realizing what it was that made her so sad. It was Keefe. Keefe's eyes were that color.

 _Did you hear me?_ Fitz asked.

 _What? Oh no, sorry,_ she transmitted back.

 _Yeah, her eyes are a_ lot _like Keefe's._ Sophie could've sworn that he sounded jealous in her mind. _Sophie, at your room back at Lark's Tower, I was going to tell you that her and I were dating._ Thoughts started forming in Sophie's mind but Fitz stopped her pretty quick. _But before you say anything! I need your advice about her._ When he didn't elaborate, Sophie took that to her advantage.

 _Okay, one, how do you know I was thinking about Keefe's eyes._

"And what do you mean 'were'?" Sophie asked. Before she realized that she had asked it out loud, Arora had already showed up by Fitz's side.

"Fitz, let's head inside," she said, more like a command than a suggestion. Fitz shrugged her hand off his arm.

"I'm catching Sophie up on a few things. I'll be there in a second," he said. Another gust of wind whipped Sophie's hair around her face, but Arora's dress didn't so much as shift an inch.

 _She's a Guster,_ Fitz transmitted. Sophie nodded through her hair, but the wind didn't stop as Arora started to walk away.

Fitz turned and grabbed Arora's arm, saying something to her that only she could hear, but it made the wind die. She scowled at Sophie, and started heading back to the house. Her dress swayed in a gentle breeze she created for herself.

"So what do you mean 'were'? Does she know about the past tense?" Sophie made sure to keep her voice low, just in case Arora wasn't out of earshot.

"It's a long story and I _promise_ to tell you later. But we should probably head inside, otherwise Biana and Tam might beat us," he said, pointing to the couple walking towards the door. Sophie smiled, and they both started walking towards the house.

 **Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading and leaving comments! This chapter was kind of short, but it was more like a filler. There is definitely more to come!**


	4. Chapter 4

Biana sat down with a 'humf' on Sophie's old bed. Sophie paced along the flowery carpet, her bare feet sinking into the soft petals. Biana had spent the last hour and a half doing Sophie's hair in a pretty braid, one that even Vertina had approved. Half of her hair was up in the braid which surrounded the top of her head like a crown, and the other half was left down, straight.

"Why won't you let me pick _anything_ out for you?" Biana whined, frowning.

"Because I already let you do my hair—which hurt a _lot_ by the way," Sophie said. Biana sighed so loud and for so long that Sophie was sure she would pass out.

But instead, she just said, "Your hair looks amazing like that. And fine—you can pick out your own clothes. But I get to help you decide." Sophie grinned, hiding the fact that she had no idea what Biana was talking about.

Weren't picking clothes and deciding which ones to wear the same thing?

Sophie wandered to her huge closet, and started rifling through the clothes that hung there. Edaline had conjured her some clothes from Jolie's room, and all of the gowns and dressy tunics were almost to fancy for Sophie.

Biana had insisted that they all dress up for the party, and almost everyone agreed. Only Tam and Sophie argued against it.

Sophie settled on two options. One was a calf length pale blue dress with a few pleated layers. It also had a moderately sparkled bodice, and thin straps that fell over her shoulders. But the neckline scooped far lower than Sophie would like, and it reminded her of Arora's dress from earlier that week. The other was a dark red color that went down to her knees with another moderately sparkly bodice. The dress was fitted at the hips with a red sash and the skirt had layers of red fabric that swished when Sophie walked. However, half of the back was open, showing off Sophie's shoulder blades and most of her back.

"Not even a competition," Biana exclaimed, grinning. "Red is your color."

Sophie blushed, and turned around to show the back. "Won't this be a little…" Sophie said revealing at the same time Biana said stunning.

"Oh come on, Soph. You look amazing in that dress—and stop tugging out your eyelashes—the boys will love it!"

Sophie started to say that she didn't care what the they thought, but a certain boy popped into her head, and she stopped short.

He couldn't possibly be coming to the party, could he?

Sophie shoved the thought deep into a corner of her brain before turning back to Biana. "Where do you think Keefe is?" Biana shrugged, but her face fell.

"He could be anywhere," she said.

"I know, but do you think he'll ever come back?" Sophie asked. When she realized how that sounded, she added, "Who else is going to tease us to our deathbed?"

"Elves don't die of old age," Biana said, matter-of-factly. Sophie frowned.

"They do when Keefe's involved." A moment of awkward silence filled the space, and then Biana jumped up from her seat of Sophie's bed.

"I have to curl your hair," Biana squealed.

"Aren't there elixirs for that?" Sophie asked. Biana nodded, then frowned.

"Well, if I give you an elixir, it will only last a couple hours. If I do it with my iron, they can last _all night_!" Sophie sighed. She didn't want her hair tugged around her head even more, especially with a heated rod.

"Fine. But the second you're done, you can't add anything else," Sophie negotiated. Biana slumped back onto the bed.

"I promise," she said, dragging out 'promise' longer than she needed to. "But my iron is at Everglen. Can you teleport me there and back? It'll be a lot faster."

"Biana, where are we going to get enough height for me to teleport?" Sophie asked, forgetting for a millisecond that she needed a freefall to split the sky. Biana smirked.

"You're forgetting that you live on the edge of a cliff, Soph," she said, grinning. She flounced to the door and raced down the stairs. Sophie had to sprint to catch up with her.

When they reached the cliff, Sophie realized she was still wearing her dress.

"Should I go back and change? You could just leap there without me," she suggested. Biana sighed as the wind whipped her hair across her face.

"We'll be fine. Besides, teleporting is fun." Sophie fidgeted with the bracelets that blocked her enhancing ability that Dex had made her. She took a deep breath, then reached for Biana's hand and launched them off the cliff.

The void dumped them directly into Biana's room, where Sophie had pictured. Biana walked into her bathroom after brushing herself off, and came out with a curling iron with a teal handle.

"Ok, we can get to the roof through the hallway," she said, pointing to a doorway covered in purple beads that draped over the frame like a waterfall. Sophie out of her room, and turned the corner and…

Ran directly into Fitz. She backed up, rubbing her nose as Biana turned to corner and ran into Sophie's back.

"In a rush?" Fitz asked, grinning. Biana huffed and rolled her eyes. "And Sophie you look really nice." His cheeks flushed pink and he dropped his eyes to the ground. Sophie was sure that hers were the same shade of red as on her dress.

"We are in a rush, actually," Biana said, a glint in her teal eyes. "I'm going to curl Sophie's hair, so see you later." Fitz smiled at Sophie, but as the walked by, he whacked Biana in the shoulder with the back of his hand. Not hard, more like one rough pat, but Biana squealed anyway, and punched him in the same spot.

"Ow!" He yelled. "No fair, you have Dex's Sucker Punch on!" Biana snickered and grabbed Sophie's wrist with her free hand and they ran down the hallway laughing until they got up to the roof.

"Don't you think you should start getting ready for the party?" Sophie asked, staring at her reflection in her spectral mirror. Vertina was silent, other than the occasional hint to Biana on where to put extra pins in Sophie's hair.

"Says you," said Biana, laughing. "I'm done now." Sophie reached up to feel the finished product, the winding braid feeling smooth against her fingers, without any feelable lumps where the pins were.

"Yes, says me," Sophie replied, confused. She shuffled into her closet to change into a white tunic with black leggings. "There's only two hours until people start showing up. The Biana I know would use every last second."

"Then we definitely know the same Biana," someone said from the doorway. Biana giggled and Sophie stuck her head out of her closet. Tam was leaning casually against the wide door frame, wearing a midnight blue cape and black pants.

"Ooh, lemme see," Biana said, running to Tam and pulling back his cape. He chose a deep blue jerkin with a crisp white undershirt. He grinned, and flipped his bangs out of his eyes, leaning down to kiss Biana, and Sophie jerked her head back into the closet, giving them some space. A couple seconds later, they started whispering. Sophie couldn't quite understand them, but she caught words and small phrases.

Tam was saying something along the lines of "...have to invite him?", and he didn't sound happy, but he wasn't angry either. More like concerned.

Biana responded quieter, with what sounded like, "...for her. Let her...happy." Half of it was unintelligible, but Sophie caught little bits and pieces. Tam must've agreed and said something else because Biana giggled again and yelled to Sophie, "Come show Tam your dress," so Sophie poked her head back into her room.

"Does Tam _want_ to see my dress?" she asked. Tam's lips started to form a word and then Biana elbowed him in the ribs.

"Sure," he said through gritted teeth. "Why not?" Sophie smiled and stepped into her room. She spun in a slow circle, showing off the whole dress.

"It's pretty," he said, genuinely smiling. "The red shows off your eyes."

"Thanks, Tam," Sophie said, flushing.

"I think I should probably start getting ready now," Biana said to both Sophie and Tam. Sophie nodded, as part of the younger Biana resurfaced.

"I'm going to head back home," she said, turning to Sophie. "If you need anything just hail me and I'll be right over." She held up her home crystal to the light coming through Sophie's windows as Sophie nodded, and stepped into the beam with Tam by her side.

Sophie stood alone in the silence for a while, then she moved to sit at the mirror and Vertina's face flashed into the corner. For once she was silent, taking in Sophie's figure.

"You do look amazing in red. And Biana did an amazing job on your hair." She paused for a moment. "I think today you amaze me." Sophie flushed. That was nearly the nicest thing Vertina had ever said to her. She started to thank her when a tall blonde elf with ice blue eyes stepped into view behind her, smirking.

"You _always_ amaze me, Foster."

 **A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long, I've had less time to work on this story that past few days. Also, I have received some comments about longer chapters. Can you guys let me know if that is something I should do? But wow. Thanks for sticking with me, everyone. I'm really glad that you guys like it so far. I'm working as fast as I can! Also, what is your favorite KOTLC Ship?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I've taken so long to update. I re-read Nightfall just to make sure I was getting small details right. I also wanted to leave the cliffhanger a little, even though that's a very mean thing to do ;). Um, I tried to make this chapter a bit longer because some of you have been requesting that. I will also be trying really hard to get more than one chapter in during a day. Thanks for reading!**

It took Sophie a few seconds to realize that she was crying until Keefe crouched down next to her on the floor and wiped a tear from her face with his thumb.

"Hey, Foster, don't cry," he soothed, pulling her into a hug. "I can feel it in my stomach and it's making me all mushy." Sophie smiled against his chest, willing herself to stop crying. She pulled away, wiping her eyes.

"Where have you been?" Sophie asked, feeling her sadness turn into concern and then shift to something more like anger.

Keefe frowned. All at once, he looked like the boy in the Exillium tent, scared and half broken and defiant. "Foster, please don't be angry. I can explain it all later," he said, softly. Sophie was too overwhelmed with a pity for the Exillium boy that flooded into her chest to be aware that he completely avoided her question.

Instead, she fiddled with the chiffon on the skirt of her dress. He sighed.

"People are starting to show up early," he whispered. "Grady sent me up here to grab you, but I was already halfway up the stairs."

Sophie stood up and Keefe followed her. She looked up at him and realized how tall he was. The top of her head was just under his chin. He smiled down at her, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"I think he _likes_ me now," he added, grinning proudly. Sophie looked up at him, confused.

"What do you mean?"

Keefe laughed, stepping a little closer to Sophie, and she felt her cheeks flame. He leaned down to her level and took her hands.

The glint of happiness in his eyes was adorable as he whispered, "Grady hugged me." Sophie would've fallen over if it weren't for Keefe's hands holding her upright.

"What?!" She yelled. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure! He walked right over to me and hugged me. Just like I was part of the family," he said, smiling. There was something in his eyes though, that made Sophie want to search his mind. A spark of hurt in his eyes. The way he tried to hide his flinch as he said the word 'family'. Sophie let it pass, not wanting to ruin the moment. However, she did shove it into her mind so she could talk to him about it later.

"Can we go downstairs?" Sophie asked, taking one last shaky breath before steadying herself. Keefe took her hand and raised it over her head. He then spun her in a slow circle that made her dress flare. He pulled her to his chest and put a hand on her hip, swaying to music that wasn't there.

"Will you dance with me, Foster?" His grin was so lopsided and childish, that Sophie had to laugh at him, even though he ignored her own question. Then she shook her head, still smiling.

"I can't dance," she explained. Keefe laughed at her.

"Sophie Foster, The Girl of Many Abilities and Many Almost-Deaths, can't dance?" Sophie grinned sheepishly, looking up at him, and nodded. He looked into her eyes, and his face fell serious.

"I bet I can teach you," he whispered, grinning. She noticed a light spatter of freckles across the bridge of his nose and below his eyes. They both fell silent, studying each other, until Keefe's face flushed and he cleared his throat, backing away from Sophie. She hadn't realized how close they'd been standing until the warmth from his body left hers. "Alright, let's head down." He _had_ heard her after all. He started toward the door, but then stopped and turned to face Sophie. "I _will_ get you to dance," he joked, smirking. Sophie laughed, and with a burst of speed, started to race down the stairs. Laughing behind her, Keefe followed gracefully right on her heels.

The first people Sophie saw at the landing before the bottom of the stairs were Arora and Fitz. They were standing in the corner of the living room, clearly arguing. There was almost nobody else in the room, only a few people Sophie didn't recognize. Arora looked angry—in a way that made Sophie pity her, despite her cold approach. Fitz was waving his hands around and dropping his head. Sophie didn't think she had ever seen him that uncomfortable.

Keefe stopped abruptly right in front of Sophie, and for the second time today she smashed her nose against someone. She didn't know when he had taken the lead and beat her to the last landing. He spun around, grinning lopsidedly.

"I didn't know the Fitzter had a girlfriend," he stage-whispered. Sophie flushed.

"I thought he might've told you," she mumbled, looking at her low black heels.

"He definitely didn't," he stated, matter of factly. He spun back around and sat triumphantly on the steps, in a place where he could see Fitz and Arora but they couldn't see him.

"Keefe!" Sophie hissed. "What are you doing?" He patted the stairs next to him. She reluctantly sunk down next to him, sighing. When she was fully seated, Keefe grinned at her.

"I'm enjoying the show," he said. With that, Sophie smacked him on the arm playfully, a little harder than she meant to. But she ended up just hurting the back of her hand.

"Are you wearing a wooden board on your arm or something?" She complained, rubbing her knuckles with her other hand. Keefe tore his eyes from the arguing couple and squinted at Sophie.

"Those are just my muscles, Foster," he whispered, smirking. Then he leaned a little closer to add, "I can show you if you'd like." That time Sophie meant to hit him hard. He still didn't seem affected, but it made the burn in Sophie's face cool significantly.

After another minute, Arora started crying and Fitz was tearing his hands through his hair every ten seconds. Sophie poked Keefe and he jumped, too caught up in the couple's argument.

"I think just watching them is kinda weird, Keefe," Sophie said. "We should head down now." Keefe sighed heavily, before nodding. He stood up, and offered Sophie a hand, before looping his arm through hers. He smiled down at her, and started down the stairs.

Arora noticed them right away, and scrambled to wipe the tears from her eyes, before offering Sophie a shaky smile. Fitz turned over his shoulder and dipped his head in a quick nod, showing a reassuring smile at Keefe. Keefe nodded back, discreetly tightening his grip around Sophie's arm. Fitz dropped his gaze to their intertwined arms and Keefe practically pulled Sophie across the living room.

 _I promised I would tell you,_ Fitz transmitted to Sophie, making her let out a slightly embarrassing squeak. Keefe looked at her weird then grinned, shaking his head.

 _When?_ She asked.

 _Make time for me, and I'll tell you then._ He severed their connection. Sophie wanted to ask him what 'make time for me' meant, but she settled for hoping he would at least tell her eventually. Keefe shuffled them into the huge kitchen, before pointing at the counter and raising his eyebrows. Not sure what he was implying, Sophie just stood facing him.

"Look at the counter, Foster," he said, chuckling.

"Oh," Sophie said, ambling over to the white granite countertop. On top of it was a box that was wrapped in teal wrapping paper with a black ribbon around it tied in a neat bow. It had multiple holes poked into the top as well. "Oh," she repeated, breathlessly. Keefe grinned.

"It's from the Forklenator," he raved, nearly jumping up and down. He moved to her side and stared down at the present in awe. "He had on of the dwarves deliver it for you a little while ago. And if you don't open it _right now_ , I might have to."

Sophie laughed and made sure to open the package as slow as possible, poking at the wrapping with her fingers and saying, "Look! It has little alicorns on it!" or "This one is different!" Keefe looked ready to rip the present out of her hands.

When she had fully opened the box, Keefe grabbed it out of her hands before she could see what was inside. He squealed and poked his hands inside the box, before pulling out a tiny bundle of fur.

"What is that?!" Sophie squeaked, running to take it out Keefe's hands. Keefe smiled and handed it to Sophie.

"Forkle got it from the Forbidden Cities. He called it Kenric, but you can change its name if you want," Keefe said gently. Sophie's eyes stung with the mention of the Councillor's name. But looking at how happy Keefe was, she thought that this could be a nice way for the Councillor to always be remembered.

"No, he's perfect," she whispered. It was a orange and light yellow kitten, the size of her hands put together, with chocolatey brown eyes. It gazed up at her and meowed, and Sophie felt like she could melt right then and there.

"I'm feeling a lot of love, Foster," Keefe said, smiling. He dropped his voice and flushed a little when he added, "Make sure you still share some with me." Sophie blushed. Then she flipped it and smirked at him.

"But he's so cuuuute!" Sophie hugged Kenric to her chest, stroking his furry head with her other hand. Keefe fake pouted right as Grady strode through the door, with Edaline close behind. He was moving at an alarmingly fast walk, but he didn't look angry though, even when he turned his gaze on Keefe.

"We heard a lot of squealing and figured you let her open her present now," he said, looking at Keefe. He nodded. Grady turned to address Sophie. "Do you like him?"

Sophie nodded so hard she thought she felt her brain shake. She had her own little kitten! It made her think of Marty, her old cat from the Forbidden Cities.

"Great," Edaline sighed, smiling. She walked to Keefe and whispered something to him that only he could hear. She pulled away and winked at Sophie. Sophie was accepting something bad, but made Keefe grin, and he at Sophie before dropping his head to look at his shoes.

"Alright, you two," Grady said. He looked back and forth between Keefe and Sophie. "There are people who want to meet you."

"Both of us?" Keefe asked, suddenly looking very small despite his height. He could now look Grady dead in the eyes, versus having to look up at him.

Grady only responded with an excited grin. He motioned for them to follow him outside. Keefe glanced at Sophie before following Grady, and she and Edaline followed closely behind.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: That last chapter was more of a long filler. I just really want to thank you guys for reading this and leaving reviews. I'm SUPER sorry for the long wait, we've been finishing up the school year with a bunch of tests and finals, and I've been really busy. SO SO SORRY!** _ **Hopefully**_ **these next two chapters will make up for it? *crosses fingers* I was mad at myself too for not making time to work on this. Ok, I'll let you get to the story now :)**

After a few hours of just wandering around meeting a bunch of elves, Sophie realized that she had spent almost no time with her friends. She had left Kenric up in her room to play with Iggy. She was suddenly regretting that choice…

Fitz and Keefe were sitting on the porch in two hanging chair swings. Biana, Tam, and Marella were sitting in the grass near Calla's tree, talking and laughing about something. Dex and Wylie were talking to Prentice and a smiley woman Sophie had never seen before, but she showed some resemblance to Dex. Maybe one of Kesler's siblings?

Sophie ambled over to where Fitz and Keefe were playfully arguing about something. They both started laughing and Keefe shook his head.

"You'll never hear the end of it," he said, as Sophie closed the final distance between them. She glanced at them both with a look that said _do I want to know?_ Keefe shook his head again, smiling. She was glad he understood. Fitz kicked his swing a little higher, and startled when it creaked. Keefe snickered at him, and Fitz swatted at the laughing boy with his hand but missed. She smiled at them both as the words she wanted to say swirled in her head.

"We should play a game," she blurted. Keefe raised an eyebrow and Fitz grinned.

"Like base quest?" Fitz suggested, hopping up and glaring at his swing when it creaked again. Sophie shook her head.

"Like Truth or Dare," someone said from behind Sophie. She turned and found Marella and Linh. She wasn't sure which one of the girls had spoken, but Keefe groaned either way.

"The last time we played that—"

"Biana almost kissed you. We've all heard it _many_ times before," Tam said, rolling his eyes as he joined the growing circle. He glanced at Biana who suddenly seemed very small. "Hopefully that won't happen again." Biana smacked him in the arm, but grinned.

"I think that's a good idea. Should we get Dex and Wylie?" Sophie nodded. Marella smirked. "I got it," she said, twisting the braids in her hair. She flounced over to where Dex and Wylie were standing with Prentice and the other woman. Wylie smiled but politely shook his head no, while Dex nodded excitedly and said goodbye to Prentice and the woman. Dex and Marella practically sprinted back over to the group.

Keefe sighed and shot Sophie a accusing glare before asking, "Where are we gonna play?" He shrunk into his swinging chair further.

"I was thinking my room," Sophie suggested.

" _I_ was thinking the cave," Biana restated, confidently. Dex and Sophie shared a cringe. Sophie looked at him and he recovered quickly.

 _I think it would be good for us,_ she transmitted to him, as the group bickering over playing in Sophie's room or the cave. She listened to his thoughts, a swirl of mechanical things. She tried not to rummage too deep, even though some trains of thought were more luring than other.

 _I think so too,_ he thought. The pained look on his face said otherwise.

 _Dex, we can make some new memories. Happier ones,_ she reasoned. He nodded and smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Oooookay," Keefe sighed, standing from his swinging chair. He waved his arms at everyone, but it turned into a stretch. "I think—" he said through a yawn—"we should go to the cave." He turned to Sophie, then smirked. But there was no teasing glint in his eyes when he said, "I can feel her determination from here." Sophie flushed.

"What gives you the power to decide?" Fitz argued. Keefe scoffed in the older boy's direction.

"You and Tam were the only ones arguing for Sophie's room. Tam because of Linh's hydrokinesis, and you because you didn't want Sophie or Dex to have to relive the kidnapping. However, Linh has insane control now," he turned to Linh and bobbed his head, smiling, before glancing back to Tam and raising an eyebrow. "Meanwhile, Foster over here wants to try something new and put the past behind her," he said as he turned slowly to Sophie, offering her a cute grin that made her heart flutter.

Dex nodded and agreed. "We could make some happier memories." He smiled sweetly at Sophie, seemingly thanking her for the words. His dimples lit up his face and Sophie had to smile back.

"Plus, Linh can do cool things with the water," Biana said. Tam scowled but didn't argue.

Sophie turned from the large porch and started walking down to the cliff with her friends behind her. Sophie walked alone, thinking to herself about the last time she actually made a fun memory of the cave. Halfway across the pastures, someone spoke from behind her.

"Foster, you know that hanging out in the cave _could_ be hard right?" Keefe asked, jogging to catch up to her. She sighed when he looped his arm through hers and nodded. "Just like when you and Dex were—"

"I feel like it would be harder if my friends weren't with me," she interrupted. She didn't want to be reminded…

She tried to flash him a confidant smile, but she was pretty sure she just grimaced. He dropped his gaze to their linked arms and they both fell silent. The grass swished under their feet, accompanied by the slightly distant laughs and conversation of her friends.

"Foster, I know you want to find out where I've been that last few years." Sophie stopped abruptly. She couldn't tell if it was from his sudden need to be honest, or the pure hurt that bled into his quiet words. She turned to face him. Surprisingly, the pain that had broken through in his voice wasn't shown on his face. Instead there was a determination and strength. If Sophie didn't know Keefe as well as she did, she would be afraid of this warrior boy.

She was lost for words. He dropped his head and stepped a little closer to her.

"Foster, I'm not supposed to tell anyone," he said, studying her face before finding her eyes. "But _you_ are the Moonlark." The way he grinned at her made her heart sink. He looked utterly destroyed behind those icy blue eyes, and his grin barely reached tipped up the corners of his mouth. She felt like she was sinking into an ocean, wrapped in chains, in the middle of winter. His hair flopped over his eyes and he brushed it back into place.

"Say something," he whispered, hopeful. His breath warmed her cheeks and he grabbed her bare hands. She couldn't. He subconsciously sent a wind of calmness into her brain. There was something about all of their time apart that made it hard for her to accept anything he might've been doing. Anything scary or dangerous.

Anything alone.

He sent another breeze into her head, and this time it felt weaker. An actual breeze tossed Sophie's hair around her face and her dress waving in the wind. Keefe's cape fluttered and his hair blew over his eyes. He dropped Sophie's hands and ran his through his hair, patting it back into place. Sophie just stared into his shattered eyes. He didn't finish the Elite Levels. Sophie hadn't seen him in person for almost three years. Only brief conversations over an Imparter; flashes of his face, few smiles.

There were so many questions and thoughts swirling around her brain.

What was wrong with her? Shouldn't she be curious?

Keefe must've noted her confusion and stepped even closer, raising a warm hand and tucking her wavy hair behind her ears.

"Sophie?" Keefe whispered. "You in there?" The use of her first name pulled her out of the strange trance. She smiled sadly at him.

"I want to know, Keefe," she said. Her voice was stronger than she thought it would be. "I just forgot how long you've been gone." Not completely the truth, but enough of it to hide her questions. He had taught her that.

He returned her shaky smile and looked out at the water below the cliff. "I've been with—"

Laughing split his words as Biana and Dex raced by Keefe and Sophie.

"Come on, guys!" Dex called over his shoulder. Linh ran past them as well, gaining on Dex and Biana. "Fitz said that the last one in has to sit next to Tam during dinner." Keefe looked down at Sophie before grinning maniacally. He grabbed her hand and she almost tripped before settling into an easy sprint. Kicking off her shoes, she ran with him a few yards. Before she realized what he was doing they were suspended in mid air, plummeting towards the rocky shore below.

Keefe whooped and hollered, barely giving Sophie enough focus to concentrate on getting them safely out of the free fall. But the pointed edges of the rocks were getting more detailed, the sky split with a thundering boom and they were tossed into the void. Blackness overwhelmed them, and Sophie clung to Keefe's hands a second longer before picturing the small cave's mouth and sandy floor.

Sophie rolled over off of Keefe's legs. "That took a lot of trust," she said, breathing heavy.

"Foster, I'll trust you with my life any day," he said back, sitting up and taking off his jerkin and chucking it into a small hole in the cave wall.

Biana reached the mouth of the cave first, a few seconds after Sophie and Keefe. Dex stumbled in after her, panting. Biana had stopped short and Dex barely had room to push by her before he would've slipped on the wet rocks.

"Did you teleport?" Biana asked, her bewildered expression enhanced by her hair flying around her shoulders in dark brown tendrils. She stumbled over to Sophie and Keefe, clearing off little spot of rock before sitting down. Sophie glanced at Keefe and he blinked. She looked back to Biana.

"Yes," Sophie said. "Keefe,"—she shot him a playful glare—"didn't want to sit next to Tam so he flung us off the cliff." Biana shook her head, smiling.

"You two are insane," she said.

"Agreed," said Dex as he wandered over closer to the group. He also had removed his jerkin, leaving a pale yellow button down underneath, and put it on the sandy ground to sit on. Keefe saw this, and unclasped his cape. He laid it down on the sand and offered for Sophie to sit on it with him. At first she shook her head, but he fake pouted and she rolled her eyes and joined him.

The next person to come running into the cave was Marella, followed closely by Fitz, they were around half a minute slower than Biana and Dex. Marella walked over to Dex and placed her purple cape down next to him, so they could both sit on that instead of Dex's jerkin. Fitz sat down on the other side of Sophie, sitting on his own jerkin, revealing a crisp white shirt that looked almost the same as Keefe's. Keefe's was just bit tighter around the shoulders and a little on the wrinkly side.

Eventually, Linh and Tam reached the mouth of the cave, ambling carefully and relaxed.

Linh played with the water, flicking little bits of it into shapes like birds and fish that wove together around the cave. She earned herself a 'Wow' from Dex and Fitz.

"Okay, everyone. Looks like Linh is sitting next to Tam," Fitz said, his accent echoing slightly off the cave walls. "But anyway, let's start the game."

"I'll go first!" Biana and Keefe shouted at the same time.

Biana huffed. "Ladies first," she said, smirking. Keefe opened his mouth to protest but Biana had already picked her target. "Dex." His gaze shot up from the sand to find her teal eyes. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," he said. Keefe and Tam both scoffed, mumbling their shares of 'lame' or 'boring' before falling silent again. Biana smirked.

"Have you ever kissed anyone besides Sophie?" Fitz and Keefe moaned and shared a look that seemed to say _Biana's making this weird again._ Sophie expected Dex to cringe, but he sat up a little straighter.

"Yes," he said. "I have." Keefe broke out into laughter and Sophie elbowed him.

"Who?" Biana pried. Dex smirked, a mischievous sparkle in his periwinkle eyes.

"You only get to ask one question," he said. But something about his voice made Sophie wonder if he really _was_ nervous about having to answer. Whatever it was, nobody else seemed to catch it. Biana frowned, then tapped her nose. Sophie wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean, but Dex let out a breath and scanned the circle of friends.

"Um," he thought. "Tam. Truth or Dare?" Tam looked at Dex for a minute, thinking, before scooping up a handful of sand and watching it slip between his fingers.

"Dare," he answered.

Without hesitation, Dex said, "Drink this." The group looked at the small clear bottle in Dex's hand. It had a bunch or round green berries in it, all about the size of a small pebble, surrounded by a sludgy purple liquid. He was holding it up in a way that made the light from the sun bounce off of it in all different directions, sending a scatter of green light.

"Is that what I think it is?" Keefe asked, suddenly more interested. Dex nodded.

"Fizzleberry wine in its pre-drink state. Basically just the fizzleberries," he explained to the rest of the group. Tam's groan grew louder as he leaned over to take the vial from Dex.

"What happens if I say no?" Tam asked, eyeing the bottle.

"We throw you into the water," Biana suggested. Linh smiled, pulling a small sheen of water forward until it was just in front of Tam's face. He sighed before unplugging the cork from the bottle.

Sophie almost gagged at the horrid smell. Her friends did the same, especially Tam. "This is what fizzleberry wine is made from?" she asked. Dex nodded. Sophie understood why Tam didn't want to drink it. It smelled like sour milk mixed with rotting vegetables and extremely burned toast. Slowly, Tam tipped the bottle up to his mouth. Sophie watched the gooey purple and green slide onto his tongue. Almost instantly, he swallowed and started coughing and gagging.

"You just carry that stuff around?" He asked, gulping down the water Linh was providing. Dex snickered.

"I thought it might come in handy tonight," he said.

"Dude, you are so weird," Keefe said, laughing.

"We all like weird, though, remember?" Marella asked, flushing when everyone nodded and smiled.

"Okay, okay," Tam said. "Keefe. Your turn. Truth or—"

"Dare," Keefe said, excitedly. Tam's scowl switched to a smirk as he glanced between Sophie and Keefe.

"Kiss Sophie." Sophie's face burned. She must've heard that wrong. Keefe snickered and Fitz groaned, "You're worse than Biana," which earned him a glare from her.

Keefe's laugh died when he saw the seriousness on Tam's face.

"I had to drink that sludge. So, you get to kiss Sophie. Technically, it's doing you a favor." Sophie's breath caught in her throat and she was sure everyone in the small cave could hear her heart beating at a rapid speed. Keefe let out a long sigh before turning to Sophie. She couldn't make herself look away, no matter how many times she repeated the phrase in her head.

"Are we serious, right now?" Sophie asked, locking her eyes with Keefe's. He smirked back at her.

"I don't lose, Foster." And with that he leaned forward and pressed his lips on hers.


	7. Chapter 7

A flutter from Sophie's stomach spread like a wildfire across her skin. Something clicked in her brain, she just couldn't place it. For a those quick seconds, the world melted away and it was only Sophie and Keefe in the cave. Then he pulled away a little and Sophie's eyes fluttered open. They stared at each other, Keefe blushing furiously and searching Sophie's face. Sophie was sure her face was just as red.

Keefe smirked and leaned back, adjusting one of the buttons on his shirt. Sophie sat back too, pulling her hair around her face to hide the burn. Biana, Tam, and Linh sat with their mouths dropped, looking at the two in a mix of awe and shock. The bubbly feeling in Sophie's stomach wouldn't go away. Marella squealed and elbowed Dex, smiling a little too widely.

Keefe cleared his throat. "I believe it is my turn now," he stated, looking completely recovered from the earlier moment. But when he caught Sophie's eye a second later he dipped his head and blushed—a small movement, only one Sophie could see, but it was there all the same.

"Marella, Truth or Dare?" He grinned at her and she smirked back.

"Truth," she said. Keefe scoffed before settling in to his sitting position. Sophie couldn't help but notice he was close enough to her that she could feel his warmth.

He looked at her and lowered his voice. "Foster? Your emotions are on an actual roller coaster." He smiled and blushed slightly, making her heart skip a beat. "You doing okay?" Sophie didn't respond and instead looked at the sand, ignoring Fitz and Dex when they groaned.

"Hey," Marella said. "It's my turn, dummy. Ask a question." Keefe focused on Sophie for a second before turning his attention back to Marella. She could feel her face slowly returning back to its normal temperature, but she kept her gaze on the sand. She didn't hear Keefe ask Marella a question. Or the chorus of giggles and laughs from the group—probably from her response.

What _was_ it she was feeling? And why now? Why couldn't she stop thinking about it? She started playing with the sand, drawing random lines and building little piles as the group played on. The only thing that snapped her back into the game was when a water bird smacked her in the head, spraying salty water all over her face and clothes. Everyone laughed, and Linh blushed prettily. Sophie sputtered and spit the water from her mouth.

"What was that for?" The group just fell silent, smiles lingering on their faces. Keefe turned to Sophie and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"It was a dare, Foster," he said, smoothly. She felt a blush rise and tried to look anywhere but at Keefe. Her eyes landed on Fitz's face and she took in the pure rage plastered on his face. His mouth was twisted into a deep scowl, and his teal eyes looked stone cold. Sophie felt the heat drain from her face with the concern for her friend.

 _Fitz,_ she soothed. He jumped at the sound of her transmission and found her eyes, his face softening a little. He dropped his head as she asked him, _have you been okay lately?_

It was an eternity before Fitz dipped his head in a tiny nod and sighed. He looked at the sand.

"Okay!" Keefe shouted. Fitz kept his head down and didn't look at Sophie again. "I think we've had enough of this game." He motioned at Biana and Tam, who were... _involved_ with each other and then at Dex and Marella, who seemed to be deep in a conversation with Linh, who was blushing prettily again. He eyed Fitz with a concerned glance before turning to Sophie and sliding his arm off her shoulders so he was facing her full on. He studied her face, lingering on her eyes and lips.

"What?" she asked breathlessly, barely getting the word out. The same erupting heat as before flew across her skin. The corner of his mouth twitched up in a smirk before he turned his head away, looking at his silent friend.

Keeping his eyes on Fitz, Keefe leaned a little closer to Sophie. Her face flamed again when he grinned and tucked a piece of wet hair behind her ear. "I vote we grab some of Edaline's mallowmelt before it's all gone." She leaned back a little, so she could take in his figure. She studied his messy hair, the mischievous twinkle in his icy eyes.

Right as she was about to say something, Linh stood up and stepped to Fitz, offering him a hand. He raised his head and dropped the sand he was playing with, wiping his hand on his pants before offering Sophie a grin and taking Linh's hand. All of the butterflies in Sophie's stomach died. And it definitely wasn't because of the way Linh was smiling up at Fitz or how close they were standing. She pulled him by the hand towards the mouth of the cave, both of them trying to not trip over Biana—who was practically sitting on Tam— and her long flowy dress.

"Hey Bangs Boy," Keefe said, his voice amplified by the cave. "Can't you two do that somewhere else?" Tam pulled away from Biana, grinning wildly. Sophie didn't think she'd ever seen him that happy.

"Can't you be annoying somewhere else?" Tam shot back, ignoring when Linh flicked him on the head as she walked by. Keefe scoffed and turned his focus back to Sophie, keeping his eyes on her face as he stood up and brushed off his pants. Then he offered Sophie a hand up. Hesitantly, she took it. They walked past Biana and Tam, leaving them, Dex, and Marella still in the cave. Further up on the cliff trail, Linh and Fitz walked together. Sophie noted that they were close, but not touching, and Linh had Fitz's cape over her shoulders. She shoved a bubbling angry-tingly feeling back into the depths of her mind, and focused on something that has been prodding her brain ever since Keefe has said anything.

"Where were you again?" This time the curiosity that had flamed the question wasn't there; it was replaced with a delicate concern.

"Do you really want to know?" He turned to look at Sophie, and his face had twisted into a grim expression. The Exillium boy surfaced again. The scared, broken look in Keefe's eyes made Sophie want to forget she asked. Before she nodded, she laced her hand through his and offered a reassuring smile.

Keefe sighed. "I actually don't know how you will take this, but please just don't be angry." He waited until she nodded again. The crunching of gravel and rocks on the path filled the short silence before Keefe took a shaky breath and blurted the words that Sophie hoped she wouldn't hear.

"I've been working with the Black Swan." A wave of rage hit Sophie like a wall. She quickly pulled her hand from Keefe's, saving him from the direct emotions. They stopped walking.

"Please, Sophie. I know how you feel. I just…" he trailed off and his eyes got misty.

"Keefe," Sophie pressed. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She realized the hidden aspect of his whereabouts was the only reason she was mad. Otherwise, she was grateful he was alive and stubbornly proud of him for helping the organization.

He dropped his head before explaining, "Because Forkle asked me not to. He wanted to make sure you didn't get involved—and hey, don't roll your eyes—because of...everything that's been happening." Sophie caught his misstep, and Keefe seemed to know it. She let it slip for now, and grabbed his hand again.

"You can trust me, Keefe." He grinned, and the seriousness in his face let up.

"I'm well aware, Foster." He grabbed her hand again and they re-started walking. "But I did want to tell you, FYI. I'm pretty sure Ro's ears were about to bleed from all my whining." Sophie had to laugh at that.

"Ro is still around?" She asked. Keefe nodded.

"She couldn't get enough of me. Plus, my mom—" He stopped short and his eyes got misty again. "Stupid ocean," he muttered, wiping them. Sophie felt the worry rise in her throat again, but it vanished when they passed the gate and started along the pastures.

"My mom wanted her to stick around for me, 'incase I ever needed a hunk of orge in anyone's way'." He made air quotes around the words, trying to make a joke out of it, like usual. But Sophie noticed the way his voice cracked as he mentioned his mom or the way the 'ocean' made him look like he was about to cry.

Did something happen at the Black Swan that Sophie didn't know about? Keefe hadn't ever mentioned his mom without sounding angry or betrayed. Sophie was just about to say something to him when Edaline stepped onto the porch and waved them in for dinner. Remembering that four of her friends were still in the cave, she poked Keefe in the ribs.

"We should go get the four that are still down there," she said, watching Fitz and Linh walk into her house. Keefe sighed, and turned back down the path. When they reached the top of the cliff near the gate, Keefe scooped Sophie up by her knees and shoulders. Her dress spilled over his arms and blew around his face. He smirked at her and she shook her head hopelessly, trying to stop him from a round two.

But, to her disapproval, Keefe launched them off the cliff together for a second time that night and they landed in the cave almost right on top of Dex.

He rubbed his forehead with his hand and scowled at Keefe, somehow knowing it was his idea.

Keefe responded by helping everyone up—including Tam—and told them it was time for dinner. They all made their way back up to the house where a crowd of people laughed and chatted happily. As stated, Linh sat next to Tam with Biana next to him.

For the first time in a while, Sophie felt relieved to be with all of her friends in the same place. Normally, it meant that they were in trouble.

But, tonight, it meant that they were happy.

 **A/N: Trust me this is not the end! I am SUUUUPER sorry for the huge wait. Extremely. From the bottom of my heart, and I mean it. I honestly have had so much to do these past months (has it actually been MONTHS?) and I haven't had much time for writing. This, is why I have written a less cliff-hangy chapter that is an end to a good day but NOT to the story. I definitely have more in store for you guys and this time it will not be such a long wait. Low key mad at myself right now. Alright, thank you for believing in me. Again, SO SORRY! And also, I know that I didn't explain much and I should've, but I will get there later on. No spoilers! Love you guys!**


	8. Chapter 8

Sophie's breathing came hard as she sprinted deeper into the woods. The footsteps behind her got louder and louder. Who ever was after her was gaining, fast. Sophie tried to push herself forward, but she kept stumbling. Adrenaline made her ears pound in sync with her heart. They weren't going to catch her.

Using every ounce of energy she had remaining, she focused on her footsteps and urged her mind to become clear.

Just as she was about to boost her speed with a brain push, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her down into a small grove of bushes. She fought against a hand clamped over her mouth and let out a startled squeal.

"Shhh, Sophie. Do you want Keefe to brag that he tagged _you_ the rest of the night?" A familiar voice whispered, once Keefe's loud crunching had faded a little. She was pulled against Fitz's stomach in a sitting position. His body heat bled into her back, giving her warm chills and made her blush. He must've been leaning on a tree, because she could smell the earthy bark and the type of moss that only grew on trees.

She removed his hand from her mouth and rolled her eyes.

"That would suck," she joked. Almost before she could finish, his hand clamped back down on her mouth. It took her a little bit before she realized he had transmitted to her instead of speaking.

 _Sorry_ , she said. _I can't even tell the difference anymore_. She felt his light laugh as a breath on her cheek, sending a different type of chills down her arms and legs. He released his gentle grip on her mouth. Sophie had noticed that it lingered on her face a little longer that necessary.

 _I can't either, Soph. Even after all this time apart_. His voice shifted to something more of a sad note, but it picked back up when he added, _I'm just really glad we're still Cognates._ Sophie smiled, silently agreeing with him.

In the short silence that followed Sophie became aware of Fitz's arms wrapped tightly around her stomach, keeping her close to him. A flame raced across her skin, and Fitz must've noticed something.

 _Are you cold?_ Before she could say no, Fitz's cape was draped across her middle, and the spots where Fitz's arms had been grew colder. She shivered. Fitz nestled his chin next to her face and exhaled slowly.

 _Who knows how long it will take them to find us,_ he transmitted. _We could do anything._ For a split second, Sophie couldn't think of anything other than kissing Fitz. She wasn't sure if that's what he meant anyway, but warm chills raced down her arms. Then she pulled herself together and laughed. She curled into him, enjoying his warmth while she could. He didn't move his head, so it stayed put near her neck. Each breath he took sent another warm chill down her spine and his arms wrapped around her again. Randomly, something popped into Sophie's mind.

 _Fitz, what was that long story you had to tell me?_ She transmitted to him. He nudged his head further onto her shoulder, so close that she could smell his cologne and a slight bit of something minty.

 _It's really nothing_. His accented voice was like a gentle whisper in her mind. Soft like silk and soothing to hear. It made her want to fall asleep right then and there. She felt so warm and safe….

 _You can trust me,_ she urged, almost forgetting what she asked about. She felt his sigh against her back and he shifted under her a little bit, moving his arms back around her waist.

 _I know I can._ He paused. _It's more of a personal thing instead of something I can't trust you with, if that makes sense._ It didn't, but Sophie went along with it.

 _So you aren't sure if you should tell me then?_ She felt him nod. _Why is that?_

He didn't respond for a couple seconds, maybe thinking things over. _Because I don't want anything to change between us._

Something about the way he said this made shivers run up and down Sophie's arms and legs, and send a flush to her face. A few moments passed in silence before a crack behind them startled Sophie to her feet and Fitz to a crouch.

Invisible fingers poked her hard in the ribs and she yelped. Fitz waved his hands weirdly and a small spark sounded. It was so soft that Sophie couldn't tell if it was real or just in her head.

Who or what ever it was seemed to only touch Sophie, but left Fitz alone. The two huddled together, back to back.

 _Should I try to read it's mind?_ Sophie transmitted to Fitz. She tried to control the shaking in her hands as she lowered one to grab the knife stored secretly in her boot. Just as her fingertips brushed the crystal handle laughing erupted from both sides of Sophie jolted back upright. Fitz didn't respond but only twined his fingers through Sophie's.

Three figures blinked into sight, two of them doubled over laughing and the third scowling.

"You should've seen the looks on your faces!" Biana screached.

Even in the dim light, Sophie could tell Tam was showing off a rare smile. "It was pathetic," he teased.

"You know what's pathetic?" Keefe glowered, his scowl deepening as he eyed Sophie and Fitz hands. "Biana decided I had to hold Tam's hand instead of hers. That's just sad." In the fading glow of the sun, Sophie could see an faint angry blush painted across Keefe's face. Was that...jealousy? Or just the fact that he had to be so close to Tam?

Sophie strangely felt the sudden urge to drop Fitz's hand, but the urge was dissolved when he sent a fiery breeze through her hand that wound its way up her brain until she felt like she could collapse into his arms with exhaustion. Her eyelids started to droop until she felt completely lost in the depths of sleep.

Someone shouted her name and the last thing she remembered was losing her grip on Fitz's hand and the earthy smell of the ground.

Sophie woke to icy blue eyes staring at her. They were filled with a mischievous glint but also a small shard of worry. She could see that the sun had fully set and the moon had risen above their heads. In the dim light of the moon—or maybe it was just the haze that was settled over her mind—Sophie could just barely see that Tam and Biana were also standing behind Keefe, with the same look.

"What happened?" Sophie asked, the fogginess suddenly clearing from her brain. Keefe shifted his position a little, looking at Biana for a second before explaining.

"The Fitzster used some sort of crazy trick he learned to make you pass out and took off. However, that means that it's only him, Marella and Dex left. I don't know why he would take out their most crucial player."

"Because they had a better plan than Sophie," Arora chided, stepping into the rising moonlight. She flicked her pointer and middle finger forward almost carelessly, and a squirming figure came flying into Sophie's expanding sight line. He was suspended over the ground by a couple feet, unable to reach anything to help him down. He looked extremely unhappy.

"He was about to make it to our base, but luckily I was able to pull him off track and bring him here. He knew that if he dropped Sophie than he would be able to sneak around without you three noticing.

"However, Sophie is less important to me than winning, no offence"—she provided an apologetic smile in Sophie's direction—"so I didn't get caught up in her little sleep session."

Keefe stood and brushed off his pants before offering Sophie a hand up. She took it, and turned to Arora.

"Can you put me down now?" Fitz asked, rolling his eyes at Arora.

"Did you decide that little Fitzy over here was the only one trying to get to our base?" Keefe asked, ignoring Fitz and crossing his arms over his chest. "What about the others, Arora?"

She laughed. Biana and Sophie shared a confused look and then Arora flicked her other hand forward. Dex flew into the clearing the same way Fitz had.

Sophie suddenly felt such a blinding rage towards Arora that she had to close her eyes for a second. When she opened them again Fitz and Dex were on the ground and Keefe was standing in front of Sophie.

Arora was still talking in the background about how she knew that Marella was still guarding their base and that if they all went now, then there would be a good chance they could win the round of Base Quest. Sophie wasn't really taking in any of this because she was too busy noticing the way that Fitz was staring at Arora like she was the most brilliant person he had ever met.

"Foster?" Sophie shook herself and stared at Keefe. "I'm getting a lot of jealousy right now," he said, quietly for only her to hear. "We should go for a walk." Sophie nodded, only because she knew that she wouldn't be able to stay here without being happy. Keefe took Sophie's hand and laced his finger through hers, still looking into her eyes. She felt a rush of calmness from Keefe as he sent a wave into her head. It cleared her thoughts a bit.

Just as the two were about to turn and start walking away, Biana grabbed Sophie by her free hand.

"Where are you going?" she asked, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"We were going to go for a walk. But if you want, we can stay," Sophie said, ignoring Keefe's frown when she added the last bit.

Biana nodded. "I think we need you to transmit to Marella. She's still in the woods." Keefe chuckled and Sophie smiled at Biana.

"Sure," she said, letting go of Keefe's hand. Keefe and Sophie locked eyes and he held her hand in his for a moment longer and then slowly let it drop.

Keefe glanced at Sophie over his shoulder as he walked over to Fitz and Arora, and Biana and Sophie headed over to where Dex was talking to Tam about bugged imparters. Right before they got there, Biana turned to Sophie.

"'Go on a 'walk' with Keefe," she said, and winked. She turned to Dex and Tam before Sophie could say anything back. A burn immediately flooded Sophie's face.

 _Was that what he meant it as?_ _Did everyone_ else _think that too?_

"Sophie? Did you hear me?" She shook herself out of a daze and smiled innocently at Dex. Without knowing what she was doing she jumped into Dex's mind easily. She ignored everything except for the one thing she was looking for. Right….there.

"Yes, I can transmit to Marella now," she responded. Dex returned her smile. Sophie felt a tiny pang of guilt. Back at Lark's Tower, Sophie had learned how to enter someone's mind without reading thoughts other than the ones she was looking for. It was kind of like a keyword search.

Closing her eyes, she reached out her consciousness like a blanket. She pinpointed Marella's thoughts and sent her a brief message to come back to the house. Marella responds quickly, and said she will.

"I told Marella to meet us back at the house," Sophie said. Dex nodded.

"Let's go then," Tam said, turning to take Biana's hand. Sophie turned to walk with Dex, but Keefe stepped in front of her.

"Sophie I actually super need to talk to you," he whispered. She studied his face. It was normal except for his absent smirk and a broken look in his eyes.

She looked at Dex and he shrugged. "Alright, Keefe. We can walk together." As soon as Dex had caught up with the others Keefe stopped and Sophie looked at him. Her heart sank when she saw the look on his face, and sank even further when she heard him speak. His voice had gone all husky, like he was fighting off tears. And what he said near broke her heart, because he cared. He had always said he didn't, but Sophie knew he did.

"Both my parents have gone and died on me."

 **A/N: Thanks for sticking with me guys! Make sure to leave some suggestions...? Thank you so much!**


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